Old Testament · Numbers

Numbers 25

Moab Seduces Israel

(1 Corinthians 10:1–13)

1And Israel dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to commit harlotry with the daughters of Moab. 2And they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3And Israel joined himself to Baal-peor; and the anger of the LORD burned against Israel.

4And the LORD said to Moses, "Take all the heads of the people and hang them up to the LORD before the sun, that the fierceness of the anger of the LORD may turn back from Israel."

5And Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Slay each man^a his men who have joined themselves to Baal-peor."

The Zeal of Phinehas

6And behold, a man from the sons of Israel came and brought near to his brothers the Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they were weeping at the entrance of the tent^b of appointed time (mo-ed). 7And Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest saw it, and he rose up from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand. 8And he went in after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced the two of them, the man of Israel and the woman^c through her belly. So the plague was restrained from upon the sons of Israel. 9And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 11"Phinehas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest has turned back my wrath from upon the sons of Israel, in his being jealous with my jealousy in their midst, so that I did not consume the sons of Israel in my jealousy. 12Therefore say: Behold, I am giving to him my covenant^d of peace; 13and it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel."

14And the name of the man of Israel who was struck, who was struck with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, a prince of a father's house among the Simeonites. 15And the name of the Midianite woman who was struck was Cozbi the daughter of Zur; he was head of the peoples of a father's house in Midian.

16And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 17"Harass the Midianites and strike them, 18for they are harassing you with their wiles by which they beguiled you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was struck on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor." 19And it came to pass after the plague—